Chart Navigation Tips: Five Chart Symbol Shapes You Need to Know!

Do you know what the diamond shape means in the symbol of a buoy on your nautical chart? Could you tell us the navigational meaning of a black dot or a small open circle? If you want to learn to navigate like a pro, you will need to know these five super important secrets of chart symbols.

1. Simplified buoy body shapes

Scan the graph for diamond or “pie” shapes, showing floating navigational aids (buoys). Those marking the sides of canal edges, isolated hazards, or specific areas show a small diamond. A shape that resembles the profile of a cake pan indicates a mooring buoy, used by ships for mooring. For safety, stay away from mooring buoys unless you have paid to use them.

2. Segmented buoys mean multicolored

Some symbols on the body of the buoy are cut into two parts, either with a horizontal or vertical line. This shows that the buoy has more than one color. On buoys with horizontal segments, look for the abbreviations RG or GR (red-green or green-red), or BR (black-red) nearby. On buoys with vertical stripes, look for the abbreviation RW (red-white) nearby.

3. The lights stand out like exclamation marks

Highlight all important light structures and headlights. Cartographers draw a teardrop shape with a black dot at the end, much like an exclamation point. The tear has a magenta (violet) color. The black point represents the exact position of the light. Use the latitude and longitude of the light symbols as reference points on your nautical GPS. This gives you a highly reliable navigation source that you can trust.

Four. Secrets of the square and triangular Daybeacon

Daybeacons are simple wooden or steel piles, driven into the seabed with dayboards bolted to the top on two or three sides. On your navigation chart, they appear as small squares or triangles. Look for the color of the daytime beacon near the symbol. R means red (triangles) and G means green (square). Watch out for the deadly white beacon. Circle any solid white square beacons in bold because they are used to mark super dangerous rocks or wrecks.

5. Highlights for accurate navigation

Don’t forget all the important ground objects such as a tank, a tower, a spire, a dome (a domed roof) and many more. Look for those that have a small black dot enclosed by a circle. That means you can trust the position for navigation. On the other hand, a landmark showing a smaller circle without a center point means “watch out for the browser!” These are approximate positions, good for basic reference, but best not to rely on them for reference points.

Use these five super important chart navigation symbol shapes to increase your navigational skills in navigating to new heights. You’ll be on your way to reading a nautical chart like a pro, no matter where in the world you choose to sail!